style

style

12 Best Moments From Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016

This time around, fashion’s favourite week, the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive had a variety of talent on offer — a heady mix of creative thespians along with a fresh new crop of designer debutantes. The result? 6 days of sartorial indulgence, a host of celebrity showstoppers and total eye candy for fashion lovers like you and I.

We rounded up the best moments from the stylish week that was.

OPENING NIGHT

Tarun Tahiliani

The vanguard of ethnic style, Tarun Tahiliani, put up a memorable opening act with his prêt line, inspired by the works of the late contemporary artist Mrinalini Mukherjee, particularly paying homage to her sculptures in hemp. The line boasted of separates like gilets, draped skirts and pleated saris, in earthy colours that were strong enough to hold entire ensembles themselves alone - think burnt orange, safari greens and maroons and black. Kangana Ranaut played showstopper for the night in a maxi skirt and an embellished jacket.

As always, Manish Malhotra struck the perfect balance between some serious traditional craftsmanship and modern silhouettes for the modern bride entourage. In a stage meticulously decorated in wedding blossoms, he presented contemporary twists on ethnic pieces like jacket-saris; lehengas paired with sheer crops and draped dupattas on anarkalis. The designer’s collection featured his signature resham threadwork, lots of sequins, floral motifs and intricate hand embroidery. Shraddha Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput played showstoppers.

‘Madness’ by Quirkbox was everything you’d imagine the line to be, except still out of the box. It showcased a variety of pop art print, a burst of colours and included metal structures on easy silhouettes, to create playful, super wearable clothing with oodles of personality. Best part? A live installation where polychromatic art was projected onto the garments that took the visuals to a whole new level.

As part of Textile Day, Bina Rao of the Creative Bee Foundation was all about textures. The runway spilled with fabrics that spelt gorgeous and sustainable — with colours inspired by Rembrandt’s palate and silhouettes inspired from culture-rich retro Bollywood, she created new textures, all stunning results of block printing, hand painting and natural dyeing.

Anavila Misra’s line ‘The Sari in Us’ attempted to reestablish a lost connection between the Indian woman and the sari, and unarguably nailed it by giving a whole new meaning to the six yards. The designer presented four distinctively curated styles — festive, romantic, work, and street, in a series of installations, featuring everything from metallics to greys, overlay jackets to anti-fit and frilled blouses.

‘Dissonance’ by Arjun Saluja for Rishta was about more than just clothes - the designer’s festive line was a tool to present his take on various current day issues regarding marriage, created for a very particular type of wearer who disses traditional mores. With impeccable tailoring, a trademark of the designer, the collection featured clean, soft separates like draped jackets and drop-crotch trousers juxtaposed with hard textures like leather.

While Singh’s collection was titled ‘The Punjabi Suit’, it was an attempt at giving the Indian staple a futuristic treatment, and a gorgeous one at that. Forget conventional fabrics, Singh worked with paper, silk, linen and cotton all woven in-house to create an organic look that’s far removed from what the collection’s name conjures up. Bold off-kilter stripes, cross hatch grainy textures and ikats gave the Punjabi suit a truly fresh take. Showstopper Jacqueline Fernandez’s metallic outfit summed up the collection quite well.

While the designer duo did what they do best - artsy glam, they also added another feather to their sartorial caps with a menswear line this time around. Titled ‘Henri’s Affair’, the collection celebrated the works of post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau by reviving the jungles of his paintings in super artsy holiday essentials — swim trunks, shorts, bomber jackets and polos. Skein work featured in profusion. And for the women? Neoprene lehengas and bikini saris, of course.

With the lion as its integral motif, artist-turned-designer Payal Khandwala’s collection ‘The New Emperor’ spoke volumes of women empowerment through a slew of ensembles. In true Khandwala fashion, the runways saw fuss-free silhouettes paired with rich jewel tones and exquisite hand embroidery, and structured jackets and collars in romantic fabrics for a charming, androgynous twist.

Anushree Reddy’s designs are always elegant, bright and quite minimalist as compared to the grandeur of Indian design, but this time around it was all of these things and one more: grown up. Not to say old, but somehow more mature. Titled ‘The Wedding Chronicle’, the collection saw a beautiful colour play with hues of tangerine, reds, pinks and yellow with pretty motifs. Showstopper Shilpa Shetty’s scalloped zardosi lehenga embroidered with intricate handwork is what the new age bride’s wedding dreams are made of.

If there’s one thing that will go down in Indian fashion history, it’s that Sabyasachi is one couturier that never disappoints. Accompanied by the live music of the Symphony Orchestra of India to create a fitting ambience, the stage alighted with exquisite handwork embroidery on shift dresses, velvet slip dresses and kaftans, even fur! — and a regal menswear collection. A very pregnant Kareena Kapoor flaunted her baby bump in a heavily embroided olive green lehenga and a kurti patterned choli.

Recommended

Jossbox is dedicated to bringing you insider access to beauty and fashion - without the airbrushing.

From interviews with editors, models, makeup artists and other cool folk to tips from the world's best beauty experts and the latest product reviews, you'll find it all here. We aim to keep it honest and BS-free, always.